A standard stand-assist chair has a frame on which are supported a generally horizontal seat and a generally vertical back. During normal use the seat is inclined somewhat downward from its front edge to its rear edge and the back is inclined somewhat back from its lower edge to its upper edge. To assist a disabled person in rising from the chair, it can be moved into a position with the seat cushion elevated somewhat and tipped forward with its rear edge above its front edge and normally also with the back vertical or forming less of an acute angle to the vertical than normal.
The seat and back are normally mounted via a system of levers on a base of the frame. An electric motor is typically provided to act upon the lever system and move the seat and back into the desired assist position.
As a rule such a chair is provided with casters or wheels so that it can be moved fairly easily, even with the person in it. These wheels make the chair fairly skittish, however, so that when rising from it it is possible for the user to push it backward. Locks may be provided on the wheels, but they require special attention and are either locked when someone wants to move the chair, or they are forgotten so the chair shoots back when someone is rising from it.